Ash Gray
by XxBlue and CrimsonxX
Summary: It's almost like a classic story of Cinderella. Almost. This time, there will be some major changes and twists... Gray, why are you dressed like a servant? GraLu
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

**Hey guys! This is a collab from both of us. We basically thought of the idea at the thought about a male version of Cinderella. We have been thinking about this for a long time, so we hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. We do own Henry, our OC, though.**

**Disclaimer #2: We do not own Cinderella either.**

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"Daddy!" three-year old Gray yelled out as he ran towards his father, who had just entered the garden. He hugged him tight, to which his father didn't return. Noticing his lack of enthusiasm, Gray asked him "What's wrong, Daddy? Let's play ball! That will cheer you up!"

Gray tugged his dad, but to no avail. "Come on, Dad! Mom would recover sooner if you play with me!"

That seemed to have shook him out of his daze, since Henry, his dad, suddenly bent down to pick Gray up and held on to him tightly. Gray was confused, but he hugged back. "I am asking you again. What's wrong Dad?"

Henry set Gray on a stone bench, and sat down beside him. Gray noticed how sad and messy his dad looked. Usually, he would have a clean and ironed suit. But now, his tie was loose, his jacket was missing, and his shirt was folded up to the elbows, giving him an overall haggard appearance.

"Gray, I don't know how to tell you this but, your mom is…" he continued, but made a choked sound in the end.

"Is what, Dad? Is she better now?" Gray asked, not noticing his father's obvious grief.

"She is dead, Gray."

Gray, being just three, wouldn't understand what being dead meant but could tell it meant something bad, so he asked, "What's dead, dad?" He asked with a hint of panic in his voice now. "She was supposed to be sick." He said, now realizing his dad's obvious grief and tightly clutched on to the end of Henry's white dress shirt.

"Being dead means that she is never coming back. She is in a better place now, where she doesn't feel sick anymore."

Gray stopped listening when Henry said that his mom was never coming back. "Why isn't she coming back? Doesn't she love us?" Gray yelled out and bowed his head down to not meet his father's eyes. "Doesn't she care about us?" he kept yelling, this time a tear slipped out of his right eye.

"She does, Gray. She loved us and cared about us a lot. It's just… God cared about her even more, that's why He took her to Him, so that she can end her suffering." Henry's black eyes now started to moisten.

"It's not fair!" Gray now left his grip on his dad and rushed to the villa, to his mother's bedroom where he knew he would see his mother, reading a book or writing one. His mother, Ur Fullbuster, had been an esteemed author before she caught a wasting disease.

He burst in, panting for air, hoping to see her well. But all he saw was Ur, pale as ever, and looking as if she were in a blissful dream. He hurried to the bedside and gently shook her.

"Mom. Mom, it's me. Gray. Please wake up. Daddy says you're dead, but you're just acting, aren't you?" He tried to smile, but with the lack of response, he broke down.

"Mom! Please! Don't leave me! Please! Who is going to read me to sleep every night!? Who is going to play with me when Daddy is at work!?" He yelled out and kept banging his tiny fist on the soft bed, tears streaming out.

Sometime in the begging, Henry had come in the room to restrain Gray from crying, but seeing his son in a breakdown had reawakened the feelings of loss, sorrow and grief as he carried his son away from the room. Gray, however, tried to resist. "Let me go, Dad! I need to make mom wake up! I have to!" Little Gray punched his dad, trying to break free. But with each hit, the force became weaker until he fell asleep while crying.

Henry carried Gray to his room and tucked him in. As he looked at his red face, he thought of his last conversation with Ur.

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_~Flashback~_

"_Even if I die, let Gray have a normal life. Let him have the strength that is formed by both parents. Let him live a life full of love and happiness."_

"_Isn't that a bit too dramatic?" he had smirked, not wanting to believe that she was about to die._

"_Come on! I want what's best for him and you."Ur smiled weakly. _

"_Then the best thing would be to keep fighting the disease until you get better, then everything will be all right." Henry softly held his wife's hand, his black hair covering his eyes._

_But there was no response._

"_Ur? Come on, say something." Henry asked feebly, when he noticed Ur's hand grow cold and limp. _

"_Ur!"_

_The doctors came rushing in when they heard him scream, and got him to go out until they got her heart beating again. But this time, a small part in Henry's head had told him that Ur won't be coming back again, and few sobs had escaped as he settled in an armchair right beside the room._

_A few hours later, he had gained enough strength to go to the garden, where Gray was expecting both his parents to come and play with him._

_~End of Flashback~_

* * *

_A few days later…_

A lot of people had come to the funeral of Ur Fullbuster. Some were fans of her work, some were family, and others were people who knew her as a kind woman. It was raining, seeming that even the heavens were weeping for the loss. Everyone was wearing black; black suits, black dresses, black umbrellas, which made everything even more morose.

White roses lined Ur's coffin, which were her favorite flowers, and she herself held a bouquet of white roses and wore a white dress with a bit of lace around the edges and white gloves that reached to her elbows. She had a dreamy smile on her lips, somehow smiling at the amount of people that came.

Gray was sitting on Henry's lap until it was Henry's turn to talk about Ur. All the while, Gray blankly stared at the coffin, internally hoping that his mom was just sleeping, but knew that it wasn't possible. He had cried all through the few days when their servants kept apologizing or talking about his mother. Didn't they realize that he didn't want to think about her? Now, all the tears used up, all he could do was stare blankly. When the ceremony was over, the people paid their respects to Henry and Gray, most of the time peering pitifully at the poor kid who lost his mother at such a tender age.

_Mom, if what Dad says is true, then I hope you enjoy being in heaven. I will prove to you and Dad that I will take care of myself, so don't worry about me._

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**Gah! It's over! We hope you enjoyed the chapter. Crimson gave the basic framework of the chapter while Blue filled in the rest. Neither of us have ever lost someone close to us before, nor have we ever been to a funeral, so criticisms are welcome. We would really appreciate any form of feedback. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! XDD**

**~Blue and Crimson**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

**A/N: Thanks for all the support, everyone! I realized that since the first chapter didn't really contain much of a story. From the chapters 1-3, there will be a classic Cinderella theme going on. The Main plot will start from him meeting Lucy ;)**

**Just so you're wondering, Lucy's not here**

**Thanks for the Reviews: **_**Rockin' angels**_**, **_**natpereira**_**, **_**Guest 8/15/13**_**, **_**oishi -.-ME**_**, **_**Kyto Touche**_

**Disclaimer: We do not own Fairy Tail**

**Disclaimer #2: We do not own Cinderella either**

_Two years later…_

Five year old Gray lay on his bed, bored out of his mind, but not totally comfortable, as he still had his suit and tie on. He was grounded in his room for spoiling the garden by splashing paint everywhere.

"_I only thought that putting more paint on the plants would help it look more colorful" _Gray grumpily thought, recalling being amazed by the different kinds of colors in the garden. _"Oh well, I guess I should sneak out of here, cause I'm hungry." _He planned as he quietly tiptoed out of his room and silently closed the door.

He wanted to go to the kitchen, but it was right across the living room, where his father was meeting a guest. If his dad caught him, he could be grounded for a longer time than two weeks.

Making sure that he didn't wear anything that could make a sound, like heavy shoes or a dangling toy, he tiptoed down the stairs. Luckily, since it was a Sunday, not as many maids were working today. Just a chef, a butler, a chamber maid and a nanny. Not one of those nosy maids who would rat him out. He reached the huge mahogany door, and saw that it was a bit open, just enough to peek through. He took the opportunity, wondering if his dad's guest was that old man from the office again, but instead he saw two kids, a white haired and a blue haired boy.

"_Why would Dad's guests be those two kids? I have never seen them around before…" _ Gray crossed his arms. He turned a bit to the right, to see a woman who looked exactly like…

_Mom… _

His grip on the door handle almost slipped as his mind was reeling. _"What would mom be doing here? Isn't she… never supposed to come back? It's been two years…" _He now sat on the floor, arms and legs crossed, and head down, deep in thought. His father had always commented on how Gray's and Ur's thinking position was exactly the same.

"I guess I'll find out by listening into their conversation" Gray mumbled sneakily, rubbing his palms together, as if he was plotting something nasty.

Now he looked in the crack again, this time trying to listen carefully.

"Oh honey! We are going to have so much fun planning our wedding!" The mom look-alike had giddily exclaimed, her deep purple hat shaking gently.

"You're right. We will." Henry calmly agreed.

Gray couldn't believe what he had just heard. This woman, who although looked exactly like his mom, acted very funny and was going to marry his dad. He had been to enough weddings to know what weddings are, and the thought of his dad and that lady kissing each other just made him puke.

"By the way, dear, you haven't introduced me to Gray yet. I have to know my future son, don't I?" She asked, her voice dripping with too much sweetness as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Why, of-course." Henry got up hurriedly, and Gray panicked. "_I'm supposed to be at my room! What do I do?" _he quickly fell to the side and his dad approached the door. As Henry opened the door, he caught a glimpse of Gray but kept his facial features under control, so that they don't show nervousness. He completely closed the door and gently dragged Gray to the stairwell, which were a few steps away.

Gray cut to the chase. "Dad. Who is she? Why does she look like mom? What does she mean by marriage?"

"Whoa there. Calm down son. I'll answer those later. First, tell me, are you mad at me?"Henry asked, worried about his son's response.

"Why would I be mad?" Gray innocently tilted his head to the right.

Henry heaved a sigh of relief. So Gray wasn't so mad that he would look through his question. "No reason. That was Ultear, a colleague of mine whose husband had passed away a month ago. We have been spending time with each other, so we decided to marry each other." The truth was that he still didn't get over Ur's death, and Gray needed a new mother, so he decided to marry Ultear. They looked so similar, that he thought Gray would have no trouble getting used to her.

"And who are those kids?" Gray asked, still not believing that he is going to get married to that crazy lady.

"Those are her sons. Come on, I will introduce them to you." Henry again took Gray's hand and brought him to the room. What confused him the most was that there was slight resistance in Gray's grip.

"Ah! So he is going to be my son? How adorable!" Ultear flamboyantly got up, her long deep purple dress swishing side by side as she rushed to them and grabbed Gray, holding him up the air. "Henry, I really think you are wrong. He strongly resembles you, not your late wife!"

Henry and Gray both felt insulted, because all of their relatives and Henry himself agreed that Gray was convincingly reminiscent of Ur. Gray prided that fact, often boasting to his friends that he looks so much like his mother that if he were a girl, he would look like her twin. Since he was just five-years-old, nobody paid much attention.

Henry felt compelled to keep quiet, but Gray burst with fury. "How can you say that!? You've never even seen my mom! She was the most prettiest and most kindest woman ever! I thought you'd be a nice person, but you're nothing but a silly and crazy lady!" He fought to get out of her grasp, but her hands had a tight grip on him. Behind her, both boys had scowled at him, but after glancing at their mother, they immediately erased it, knowing that she will take care of him.

"Oh! But you don't know me yet, either darling!" Ultear had now turned serious, and let Gray down. "I know that you are not normally like this. So, I'm going to forgive you for now. But I do not expect this kind of behavior from you, alright?" Ultear said in a voice that seemed kind but if you looked in her eyes, you could see the malice radiating from them.

Gray shrunk back, and hid behind Henry. Ultear suddenly turned back to her usual showy self. "So, Gray honey, here are my two sons, Lyon and Jellal." Ultear moved to the side to show the two boys, and pointed to each boy as she said their name. Both boys were quietly sitting on the sofa.

"Hello, brother." Jellal stood up and shook Gray's hand. "Hey." Lyon boredly waved at him.

"Hey, you guys." Gray greeted back, and glanced at his dad. Reading his look, he added, "You want to play with my toys? We can share."

"Of-course they will! Boys, go play with Gray." Ultear put her hands on Jellal and Lyon's backs and pushed them a bit forward.

"Ok, let's go." Gray led them to his room.

_Two months later…_

Gray was being readied by the maids for the wedding ceremony. Since he was his dad's best man, he had to wear a small black tuxedo with a purple tie and a purple orchid in his chest pocket. The maids were squealing because Gray just looked too cute. But Gray was too downcast to get cocky at their remarks. He respected his dad's decision on marrying Ultear, but he just didn't feel right, like he was headed to a trap. He shook the feeling away, as his dad knocked from his door. He knew it was his dad because the two had created a secret knock that would help them know it's them. He asked the maids to leave and his dad came in.

"So, is my little hero ready?" Henry asked and hugged Gray.

"Yeah, Dad." Gray despondently replied.

Noting his downcast response, Henry asked. "Gray, what's wrong? Aren't you happy?"

"I am, Dad. Trust me." Gray gave one of his reassuring grins, which made Henry happy.

"I wanted to ask you something. What are you going to call Ultear?"

"I was thinking of calling her Ultear. What do you want me to call her?"

"I just want you to call her stepmother, ok?"

"But that's too long!"

"Ok, ok. You can call her step-mom, then."

"Yay!"

Henry checked the time. "It's almost time. Let's go, my best man." He stretched out a hand and winked at him.

"Let's go!" Gray took the hand and used his other hand to punch his fist up the air.

The two went down the stairs, but when they reached down, Henry had returned to welcoming guests, leaving Gray by himself.

He was feeling alone now, since he really didn't have any close friends. He decided to find Lyon and Jellal, since they were going to be brothers in a few hours, and because he hoped the two can play with him.

He had no luck in finding them, so he let one of the servants drag him to the ceremony, which is about to start. He stood by a friend of Henry's, as he saw Ultear walking down the aisle, with the wedding march being played.

Ultear looked more like his mom now more than ever. Her short hair had now been slightly curled to frame her face, and she wore a lavender headband adorned with a lavender veil covering her face. But the veil was so thin that you could see through it. Her wedding dress was also lavender, a sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline and a long poofy skirt that was lined with pearls and ruffles. She was wearing gloves that reached till her elbows, and her long trail was being carried by two young girls, randomly chosen. She was also holding a bouquet of purple orchids and lone purple tulip in the center.

As she reached the end of the aisle, she took Henry's hand and both smiled at the minister. The minister held a very fat book that seemed to be open right at the center. He cleared his throat and started.

"Do you, Henry Fullbuster, take Ultear Mikovich as your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, till death do you apart?"

There was some hesitation in Henry; a part of him didn't want to betray Ur by committing himself to this woman. '_Well, it's for Gray's wellbeing'_

"I do."

"And do you, Ultear Mikovich, take Henry Fullbuster as your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death do you apart?"

"I do." There was no hesitation in her voice, her reply also had an air of finality to it.

"Now, you may kiss the bride." The minister motioned to Henry.

One of Henry's colleague covered Gray's eyes, but Gray allowed him to, since the sight would disgust him. Forget his previous thoughts about respecting his dad's opinion, he hates the two of them together.

_I wish mom was here…_

**A/N: Ultear here looks exactly like Ur, so she has shorter hair. And About Gray and thinking he could have been a twin to her mom, please forgive him. He is just a little kid, so he really doesn't know what he is thinking.**


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